Marc Andreessen Anonymous

Joining the chorus of devoted readers… Can he keep this up?

Free ideas

Following up on my last Bill and Steve video post, I’m having fun making my way through a bunch of past TED Conference talks.

If you haven’t heard of TED, it’s all about big ideas on technology, entertainment and design.

I just watched a great talk about failures in modern civic design by James Howard Kunstler. Also highly recommend Hans Rosling with "the best stats you’ve seen" and Blaise Aguera y Arcas‘ talk about Photosynth software:

http://static.videoegg.com/ted/flash/loader.swf

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Tech

I watched the Bill Gates and Steve Jobs show the other night. It reminded me why I love technology.

It is a rare experience to hear business philosophies driven by such strong personality, ego, style and technical talent articulated by guys like these two — in front of each other.

I haven’t ever been a big Apple fan but Steve was great and showed his genius.

It is a great discussion.

http://services.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/452319854

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5 Years

I wrote about this day privately and now I can’t find the file. So as with the rest of the ramblings on this blog, maybe this public record will help me sort out a thought or two and log them for some time.

 

It’s important to me to remember what September 11 means. It’s not about attaching anything to those acts that doesn’t belong. Ze Frank makes that point well. Attacking us was no doubt a political statement, but my feeling is 90% of today’s politics associated with September 11 does not belong.

 

I don’t think it’s necessary for everybody, but I watched this unedited, unmoderated, unscored, amazing 30-minute clip that spans the events of that morning. It’s the first time I’ve focused on that day in a while. And it’s healthy to put my mind back there. To remember what it means. To hear an innocent voice on the tape ask "What building is that?" at a time before the image of the World Trade Center was scarred into everyone’s brain.

 

Basically (for me anyway) it’s not about a Nic Cage drama vehicle or a presidential address. It’s about people and how bad we can be and how good we can be.

 

The CEO of my company and another executive wrote about that day and, put simply, made the events more "speakable." While it’s good for me to remind myself what that day was and is about, it’s more important to look at it through a clear lens of words and thoughts and conversation.

Satellite Maps for NYC!

Haven’t seen this mentioned from the source but… Long at last we New Yorkers enjoy high quality satellite photos of the best city on earth! But only if you live below 120th Street — here’s before and after:

 

Melted Rooftops

Here’s a shot at Jonathan’s latest blog entry…

 

In the middle of January there was snow on every neighboring rooftop but, from air conditioning exhaust required to cool their energy-hungry server room, their share of snow had melted?

 

Windows Live Mail

I was invited by Microsoft to join its beta for the new Live Mail service, went through all the necessary sign-in steps, and BAM! Hit with this error message — to my knowledge I don’t fall into any of these categories:

 

UPDATE: Several folks from Microsoft contacted me to let me know this message also applies to customers who subscribe to MSN via partners. Makes sense, thanks for the follow-up!

Windows Live Marketing

I don’t mean to downplay the importance of Microsoft’s "Live" announcement, but I see it as organizational and product-marketing moves. Not so much as technological change, at least in the near-term.

 

Microsoft foreshadowed Tuesday’s announcement when it brought MSN into its new Windows platform group in September. Now MSN will contribute its online goods to the Windows platform, and to a lesser extent to the Office platform.

 

So if today’s MSN product is a Web-centric service or software (Messenger, VirtualEarth, Search, Hotmail, etc.) tomorrow’s upgrade will bear a new "Windows Live or Office Live" moniker (depending on if it’s for consumers or businesses). MSN Messenger becomes Windows Live Messenger; Hotmail becomes Windows Live Mail. On the other hand, if it’s more or less a content property (MSNBC, MSN Money, etc.) it keeps its MSN branding.

 

That’s product marketing and re-organization more than technological change.

 

As always Russ sums up the strategy so insightfully. Again, I’m not downplaying the importance of the "Live" move. But I can’t stand these media reports that predict an online version of Windows hosted at live.com. It’s not.

 

Windows Live is not going to replace Windows anymore than Xbox Live replaces Xbox.

 

The technological changes arrive later, and I’d argue they will target user-interface innovations primarily. There’s a lot of potential change when you embed Microsoft’s vast online linkage into its client software. I’m sure there’s also a ton of potential DOJ attention.

 

The UI technological change the more interesting stuff, and I’ll post later when I can collect my thoughts. Microsoft can learn a lot from the fresh take on interfaces from its Media Center experience, its Xbox console, and what similar consumer electronics companies are doing as well.

Add Sun to the GoogleOS Mix

I’ll keep this quick since I’m slammed with work. In August I speculated about Google and how well positioned it is to develop a massive distributed network that delivers all services to consumers using a thin-client model:

1) Polish that Linux distribution everyone knows you’re working on.

2) Partner with Intel. Work together to develop a chipset that taps the new resources tied to the GoogleOS.

3) Be the one company that has the guts to roll out a national WiMax infrastructure.

4) Deliver to computer makers a neat bundle of silicon from Intel that’s married to GoogleOS and GoogleNet services. This is kind of like a thin-client — a simple embedded system whose functionality is driven by software and Web services from the massive distributed "server" that already runs Google’s search service.

Given Jonathan Schwartz’s latest post (another must-read for some of the most compelling business cases) I’m forced to revise my Google mix a bit:

 

1) Google can get away with using Java as an existing platform, instead of building a Linux distribution from the ground up. Similar to how they leverage IE and Windows as an existing platform for their increasingly functional sidebar/toolbar.

 

2) Move up the business stack and partner with Sun, not Intel. Sun will worry about the silicon (and other hardware, plus distribution) when it builds its thin-clients. Google need not get that deep.

 

3) OK, so no WiMax yet. But Om broke the news on Google’s Wi-Fi testing in San Francisco, and that’s close enough.

 

[…]

 

4) Profit. 😉 Google sells more ads. Sun delivers StarOffice as part of a complete Java-based computing environment to anyone for a Google-subsidized, cut-rate annual cost. Shirk security concerns and obselecence.

Influence of ODMs

Russell Beattie is a sharp, sharp guy. I slightly disagree with his conclusion that Linux will be the mobile platform to beat in the next few years, but you can’t beat Russ’ well-formulated arguments.

I’m not as close to the mobile scene as Russ, but I feel like Microsoft has made decent inroads with carriers, and increasingly important — has big momentum with ODMs like HTC. From my perspective these so-called original device manufacturers are carrying more weight among carriers, mobile hardware and software players. HTC in particular will come out with some awesome smartphones this Fall.

If ODMs can marry more capable hardware to advanced software, it seems to create a compelling product for carriers. With smart marketing like this and more brand recognition of its own, can HTC steal some spotlight from hardware partners and play a larger role in a software platform’s success?

P.S. Shhh – don’t tell Russ but Microsoft’s anti-phishing toolbar tells me something’s suspicious on his site. First time I’ve seen it give a warning…